See below for our other post today -- re:  wedding plans and Ethiopia.

After Et, we flew to Uganda, where we spent about 2 weeks.  Ug was much more developed than Et, but that is, of course, quite a relative statement.  When I think of Ug, I think of bicycles loaded down with bannanas, women in brightly colored dresses, bannana trees everywhere, and beautiful green rolling hills and valleys.  Ug was truly beautiful -- you can see why Churchill dubbed it the Pearl of Africa.

We spent a lot of time in Kampala . . . a great city -- very safe, good restaurants, and a great vibe -- but much more time than we would have liked.  Most of our time in Kampala was just transit stops, although we also ran a lot of errands.  Oh yeah, I also spent time at the police station and tourist board trying to deal with the safari driver named ssali who ripped us off (stole $$ and cut our safari short) . . . and Jenn spent a couple of days recovering from her malaria infection (she is fine -- do not worry). 

Our highlights were as follows:

-several relaxing days at a resort right on Lake Victoria (it even had a workout gym and a great pool)

-a game drive in QEP, during which we saw 4 lions (male, female, 2 cubs), waterbucks, elephants, Ug Kobs, and warthogs; a boat trip in QEP that was just amazing -- 2 hours on the Kazinga Channel, filled with elephants, buffalo, hippos (1 almost hit the boat), crocs, and beautiful birds.

-chimp trekking in Kibale Forest - we spent 1 1/2 hours following and watching wild chimps.  Incredible.  We would later see more chimps at the UWEC and at a Sanctuary on an island in Lake Vic, but nothing could top seeing them in the wild

-and the best for last . . . gorilla trekking in Bwindi NP.  After hiking for just under 2 hours . . . and by hiking I do not mean on a path, but right through an amazing jungle (follow the guy with the machete, literally) . . . we heard barking and quite a bit of noise.  Suddenly, we came around a corner, and sitting there was a female 200 lb mountain gorilla.  We froze in awe.  Moments later, we were quite startled by a tremendous commotion.  In a matter of seconds, a huge silverback covered about 15 feet . . . he sort of came out of nowhere.  He then stopped on a dime, sat down, and just crossed his arms.  Right off the Discovery Channel.  We then spent about 1 hour watching these gorillas, from anywhere from 5-15 feet away.  Of the 20 gorillas in the family, we got great views of about 6 of them, including the newborn baby.  All in all, probably the coolest, most awesome experience we have ever had.

Thus, Ug was great -- despite the problems we had with our driver.  We also had a guide named Lawrence who was just great.  Gorillas and chimps.  Get yourself out of your damn office and to Ug -- but first to C'town in late Sept / early Oct . . . one of the most beautiful cities on earth.  And SA has it all -- wildlife, culture, history, and activities.